Overrated
by My Rude Awakening
Summary: To them, love is merely an illusion. It is nothing but a fabrication of the discontent mind that seeks solace in the inevitable benevolence of the human nature. Set 10 years after the original POT storyline. SanadaxOCxTezuka


**Overrated**

by **My Rude Awakening**

_To them, love is merely an illusion. It is nothing but a fabrication of the discontent mind that seeks solace in the inevitable benevolence of the human nature._

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**Disclaimer :** As much as I would like to declare my ownership of Prince of Tennis, it's NOT mine. I'm just using Konomi-sensei's character for my personal amusement.

**Author's Note : **The story is inspired by the Tezuka - Sanada showdown in the Finals and is set around 10 years after the Prince of Tennis storyline.

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**Prologue : Extraordinary Routines**

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He has a well-accomplished life and if anyone would congratulate him for a job well done, he would accept it proudly.

Screw modesty.

He (and perhaps the whole world) knows he deserved whatever he has and wherever he is right now. He worked his way to the point of insanity through everything and it's about time he enjoyed all that he has achieved.

He is finally working as a full-fledged lawyer after years in college and he is simply honored that his grandfather decided to hire him. It has been half a year since he started working for the Sanada Conglomerate.

But it's not their shared genes, alleles or whatever, which made his grandfather hire him.

He was really good, so good, even the family patriarch couldn't refuse this fact.

Sanada Genichirou excelled in his chosen career.

After his graduation, he already had various job offers from international and multinational companies.

Apparently, all those brilliant job opportunities were overshadowed by his loyalty and respect to his family and to their businesses. He agreed to work for the family company established by his great-grandfather with the condition that he will be treated as a regular employee.

But then again, his entry to the firm wasn't at all regular, much more his job. He was the corporate lawyer of the Sanada business empire, a corporation that creates so many of the things on the market, and which provides countless jobs to the Japanese people.

No, his life and his job can never be regular.

He himself is quite extraordinary and undoubtedly exquisite. He is not a man with many words, but once he has spoken, his words become the epitome of enlightenment in any situation. He can find his way out of any problem and he makes sure that each problem is solved even before it presented itself.

The only downside to his seemingly perfect existence is that he was twenty-five and his grandfather wasn't getting any younger. It really isn't a problem from the young man's point of view, but from the perspective of the older Sanada, it means his grandson must have at least one heir by now.

It's not that the Sanada patriarch was anticipating his death or anything, but he wanted to at least be alive and well until he sees (and saw to it) that his grandchildren (and maybe even some of his great-grandchildren) are living a good life. After that, he was a happy man with a great life. He wouldn't ask for anything more. He would be thankful for the long life that has been bestowed upon him.

Only, his vision of the wonderful near-future isn't going to happen anytime soon, not with his grandson's nonexistent love life. He isn't a fool not to notice that his beloved grandchild was too focused with the bright career ahead of him, but he knew that too much of everything was never good.

Yes, too much waiting isn't really good either, not with a man whose years in this world are dwindling down.

So he decided, once and for all, to deviously interfere with his grandson's affairs.

This means he will do anything and everything in his power to get what he wants before his time runs out.

And mind you, Sanada Yuusaku has power. Lots of it.

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Mizuno Nina stepped onto the marbled floor of the airport. She honestly had no idea why her grandfather suddenly summoned her from her glorious, blissful, but brief stay in New York City. After all, he was the one who sent her there to study and observe first-hand the (undoubtedly dull) economics and industries of the Western world and whatnot.

The NYC trip was a combination of cultural enrichment for herself and information accumulation for her grandfather's company. It was a refreshing change from her duties as the Marketing and Communications director of _Mizuno International_, that's why it frustrated her so much when she was asked to go home right away.

The said trip was supposed to be a prelude to her getting an MBA.

She already finished her college education (with flying colors), yet Mizuno Satoshi wanted his only granddaughter and heir to get an MBA soon to make her the absolutely competent and irrevocably deserving successor to his international company, but she refused vehemently because he just was asking too much.

From her point of view, at least.

Despite her blatant rejection of THE business tycoon role, she sort of acquiesced to her grandfather's wishes by taking other business-related courses, like Public Relations, Marketing, and Events Management, in college, along with Economics. After all, she still loved her one and only family dearly. She promised to help run the company, but not as the successor.

There's no way in hell she'd do that. Not in this lifetime, anyway.

So back to her internal query.

Since Grandpa Mizuno said that nobody in the household (except for him, of course) knew that she was coming home, who would pick her up from the airport and take her home?

She looked around for a while and she was surprised to see a board with her name printed on it. She looked at the person holding it, but it was too far to see clearly. She passed through the Immigrations/Customs gate without a hitch, and then walked steadily to the bearer of the signboard with her name.

He wasn't the one whom she expected to be there, but she was obviously intrigued. She believed she's never seen him before, but she didn't mind. He was such an eye candy, albeit a formal one.

When she halted in front of the stranger, he immediately offered a hand to her, which she shook lightly while he introduced himself in a very business-like manner.

"Mizuno Nina-san, I'm Sanada Genichirou. I was asked by your grandfather, Mizuno Satoshi-sama to meet you and to bring you to the restaurant."

"Alright," she acknowledged, but she immediately added, "wait, did you just say you'll bring me to the restaurant?" She looked at the young man with contempt.

"Certainly, Mizuno-san," he replied nonchalantly.

"But why would you do that?" she inquired loudly. "No, don't answer that. I'll figure it out for myself. No! Don't move! Don't… just don't do anything funny while I sort this out."

She speed-dialed her grandfather on her phone. After one ring, the old man picked up.

"Grandfather, what is this all about? Who is this… person you sent to pick me up? Did you even ask him, or anyone for that matter, to pick me up or am I facing a kidnapper or a thug or a criminal or whatever here in the airport?"

She waited for a reply from the other line, but all she heard was her grandfather chuckling heartily.

"Grandpa? Are you there? Hello?"

"Yes, darling, I'm still here. Don't worry about the young man. He's the grandson of a very close friend of mine. He'll bring you safely to where I am so you don't have to panic, okay? I'll see you in a while," Mizuno Satoshi explained to his granddaughter on the phone.

"What? Where are you?" Nina demanded.

"Oh, and welcome back, dearest. I missed you, too!"

And with a click, the line went dead…

The young woman's new companion cleared his throat before her incessant shouting on the _tut-tut-tuting_ phone caused any more unwanted attention to both of them.

"Oh, sorry. He's just a little bit evasive right now," she stated apologetically. "My grandfather, I mean."

"I see," he replied quite mechanically. "Shall we proceed? The restaurant is quite a distance from here."

"Yes. Let's go, but first, can you please help me with my, erm, bags? They're kinda heavy and I've got three of them." She hurled one big bag in front of him.

"But of course." He took two of her bags as they started walking towards his car.

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He looked around him discreetly as he stepped out of the car, searching for the unmistakable glint of telephoto lenses. When he was satisfied with his quick ocular inspection of the perimeter, he passed through the glass doors of _Tokyo et Paris_, a restaurant regarded as one of the newest, most stylish in town and renowned for its privacy and exclusivity.

Glancing over his shoulder was merely a precaution to Tezuka Kunimitsu, the popular and highly skillful pro-tennis superstar. He didn't have time for useless controversies that came with damning images taken by paparazzi so he made it a point to secure his surroundings first before doing anything in public.

He immediately spotted the table where his friends were waiting. He walked briskly towards them with a half-smile, realizing that it has been some time since he last saw them.

"Yo, Tezuka!" Kikumaru Eiji greeted with a huge smile.

"It's been a while, Tezuka," Fuji Syuusuke said calmly.

"Buchou," Echizen Ryoma addressed his former captain with a curt nod.

"How have you been, everyone?" The newcomer inquired as he took a seat beside Fuji.

They discussed the latest happenings in their lives over lunch and before they knew it, they were down to the dessert. Tezuka politely refused the sugary specialty being served, but his friends insisted. He was about to take a spoonful, when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Did you miss me, Tezuka Kunimitsu?" A familiar voice whispered mischievously behind him.

He stood up and turned around to face the owner of the said voice, completely aware of who the person was.

"Nina," he stated flatly, but with a definite smile on his face.

"Hmmm. That's all you're going to say after all this time?" Mizuno teased her childhood friend with a fictitious pout. "But knowing you, you don't have that much to say anyway. Am I right or -- "

The bespectacled tennis player suddenly wrapped his arms around her, catching her off-guard and rendering her completely immobile from the sheer shock of his impulsive gesture.

"Didn't they say that actions speak louder than words?" He asked her with an inquiring look.

She looked up at him with a bewildered expression, but he continued sporting the feigned puzzled reaction, with his arms still around her.

"You're too careless, Mizuno Nina," he whispered to her good-naturedly.

Fuji watched the scene before him with interest, wishing in vain that he had his camera with him, while their two other companions simply stared at their usually stoic friend.

Nina pulled herself away from Tezuka and then placed her hand on his head.

"Are you sick? What has gotten into you? What's wrong?" She felt for his temperature, worried that her friend was unwell because of the uncharacteristic actions he demonstrated a few moments ago.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine." he assured her. "But you better get going. Your companion is waiting," he added, noticing for the first time the man who was patiently waiting for Nina.

"But you're acting strangely today, 'Mitsu. Are you positively sure?" She asked for the final time, while giving Sanada a fleeting glance.

"Of course." Tezuka affirmed as he restored the stoic expression on his face. "I was just teasing you."

"If you say so," she replied. "Oh, how are you, everyone?" She waved to her old Seigaku friends with a big grin, after being aware of their presence.

"We really have to go now, Mizuno-san," Sanada interrupted modestly.

"As much as I would like to catch up with you guys, I have to meet with my grandfather upstairs. I was summoned from NYC for something that's apparently of grave importance. I just came from the airport." She explained in passing. "Goodbye for now! See you when I see you!" She waved once more to her friends.

"Let's just meet up soon, then." The tennis star gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead, surprising her further.

She turned around abruptly, hiding the slight blush on her cheeks caused by the unnecessary gesture of her close friend.

_Something is definitely up with him,_ she thought to herself as she ascended the stairs to join her grandfather in the private function room.

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**To be continued...  
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**Author's Note : **I know you might be thinking _What the hell? Why is Tezuka so OOC? That is so not him!_ after reading this chapter, but like what the female character said, there is something up with him so he's not as stoic as usual. AND in this story, it has been **10 years** since Jr. High and people change over the years, so I guess you'll just have to keep on reading to find out what exactly happened in those 10 years :D

Regarding Sanada's grandfather, I found out from POT 20.5 that he is a kendo instructor for the police force, not a business mogul that I made him to be. For the almost obvious purpose, I have rewritten the Sanada patriarch's history to suit the storyline.

Anyway, **thank you so much** for reading this story. Feedbacks are greatly appreciated so **please do review** after reading to let me know if you liked the story or not ^__^ I will base my updates on your comments so don't be shy to tell me what you think.


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